Most scientists know that many very valuable products can be made from plant fibre pulp prepared by a laboratory method known as "explosion hydrolysis" Unfortunately; in order to get $1 worth of these products, one must spend most of that $1 on heat energy and other costs. Huge amounts of research money have been applied world-wide in the quest for a commercially viable process with little success.
"Explosion" hydrolysis consists of placing a charge of wood chips or similar cellulosic materials into a strong, closed pressure vessel in order to bring a thermochemical modification. High pressure steam is passed through the material for a specified time, according to temperature. At the end of the steaming period a valve on the bottom of the vessel is opened and the hydrolysed material is "exploded" out of the vessel. What comes out of the vessel is a rather soggy, very hot, wet substance which is ready to be processed so as to utilise the various chemicals which have been liberated by the hydrolysis.
In it's simplest form, explosion hydrolysis is carried out without any chemicals or additives but catalysts can be used. Explosion hydrolysis was used extensively in Germany during the war period when the shortage of chemicals meant that the economic considerations were over-ridden by a desperate need for the end products. A tremendous resurgence of interest in explosion hydrolysis also arose during the early 1970's when the costs of petro-chemicals began to sky-rocket. Large numbers of new projects were initiated at that time when it was thought that explosion hydrolysis would be rendered more competitive. With the recession in oil prices the projects were abandoned.
There is no doubt as to the value of hydrolysed ligno-cellulose fibre, but up until now, it's use has been totally circumscribed in the absence of an economic, large scale production method. There has been absolutely no interest in the production of the valuable substances found in bio-mass because of a total concentration and reliance on petro-chemical. Strong incentives to increase bio-mass plantings in order to reverse the carbon dioxide balance coincides with the emergence of this new technology.
There is no real substitute for the use of heat in the process of hydrolysis of lignocellulosic material and the laws of thermo-dynamics ensure that there are not short-cuts as to the amount of heat which is required. The reason that the process has been uneconomic in the past is that it has been possible to use the heat only once and, at the end of each cycle, the heat has almost been totally lost to the atmosphere.
[Explosion hydrolysis was very widely practiced in the 1930's and right up to the present day to produce hardboard by the Masonite process. The practice has almost completely disappeared and been replaced by more efficient methods. Hardboard made by the Masonite process was bonded entirely with natural resins produced by the process and no synthetics were used. Unfortunately, 100 tonnes of water were needed for every one ton of fibre produced which brought enormous pollution problems].
The present invention provides a totally different apparatus in which the hydrolysis preferably proceeds within a continuous energy re-circulation system where there is a minimum of waste. Even surplus heat is available in a valuable form. The innovation represents an enormous break-through where an old, well known but previously uneconomic process has been brought into the space age. The immensely efficient, pollution-free energy system is economically competitive, no matter how low oil prices sink, making woody plant fibre bio-mass a certain alternative as a chemical feed material.